The James Bond franchise is nothing short of a miracle. It’s a miracle that every single actor to officially play Bond is legendary in his own way (including Dalton and especially Brosnan). It’s a miracle that each film has been able to adapt to the times while still being entirely faithful to the character. I guess I shouldn’t say “miracle,” though, because that makes it seem like it’s all been a happy accident. It’s not. The success of 007 on screen throughout the decades is due largely to the meticulous creative control of the Broccoli family. Now, that reign has ended.
On Thursday, Amazon MGM Studios announced it will be taking “creative control” of the James Bond intellectual property rights. The move ends a historic stewardship that began with the late producer Albert R. Broccoli in the ‘60s, who founded Eon Productions with Harry Saltzman and continued until today with his daughter Barbara Broccoli and his stepson Michael G. Wilson. According to Amazon, which has held the rights to distribute the Bond films since acquiring Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in 2022, Broccoli and Wilson will remain co-owners, but they will no longer be the decision-makers.
This unexpected news has led to a lot of handwringing and speculation. What happens to Bond now? Who will they cast to lead the next movie? (It’s already been three and a half years since No Time to Die.) Will there be, as my coworker prognosticated, a mediocre prequel series coming to Prime Video soon? Is Amazon about to do to 007 what Disney did to Star Wars?
We don’t have any details yet of what’s to come. However, we actually do have a giant clue as to how Amazon wants to expand the Bond universe (read: make more money on it) — and it doesn’t bode well.
There has already been one Bond spinoff during the Amazon era, but despite some star power attached, you probably haven’t heard of it. Titled 007: Road to a Million, it was a reality competition show hosted by Brian Cox, hot off Succession, that debuted on Prime Video in November 2023. It plunked nine pairs of contestants into a Bond-flavored, globe-trotting challenge to answer questions and, hopefully, win £1 million. So why is this likely the first time you’re hearing of it? Probably because, according to Guardian critic Lucy Mangan, the show ended up being “boring, soulless and derivative.” Oh, and also “devoid of style, tension or anything else we might associate positively with his majesty’s longest secretly serving agent.” (You really should read her full review.)
But lest you think I’m cherry-picking one scathing take, I’ll point you to the James Bond subreddit where a number of franchise fans also criticized the show, including one who likened it to The Amazing Race — just without a race, or anything amazing.
Pierce Brosnan Is the James Bond We Need Right Now
It’s time to find comfort in one liners, dad style and chest hairIt should be noted that Broccoli and Wilson were two of the six executive producers on this reality TV spinoff, and it was in development with their blessing before Amazon bought MGM. But in March 2022, mere days after Amazon’s $8.5 billion MGM acquisition was finalized, its Prime Video streaming arm announced it had officially green-lit the show. So in the end, the final lackluster product was created under Amazon’s banner.
But that disappointment begs the question: what would be a proper spinoff for Bond? That’s the thing — as a huge fan of the films myself, from the Sean Connery and Roger Moore movies I watched on TV growing up to Daniel Craig’s tenure where I consistently went back to the theater to see the new releases multiple times (and I teared up during No Time to Die during both showings!), I can’t think of one single concept for a spinoff movie or show that I would actually enjoy. Sure, the Nintendo 64 games were fun as a kid and all, but those were a flash in the pan. Bond has stood the test of time because it’s been limited to one 007 at a time, one movie at a time, all strung together to create a cinematic legacy that’s unmatched in its scope.
Would Amazon really put that legacy in jeopardy? Probably. As Jeff Bock, a media analyst with Exhibitor Relations, told Variety on the occasion of Amazon buying MGM: “Hollywood is crazy over IP right now and Bond is one of the biggest ones there is. In order to unlock its true potential though, there need to be TV shows and other ancillary properties. Purists may not like that, but you know what, those purists are on their way out.”
Well, Broccoli and Wilson, the creative purists who have brilliantly overseen the Bond legacy, are indeed out. But the viewer purists, including myself and countless others around the world, are still here. And we certainly don’t want a Bond reality show, or any of the other derivative ideas that are likely being brainstormed right now in the Amazon MGM offices.
More Like This
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
